Bombard: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when referencing an intense and continuous attack with bombs, artillery, or other explosive devices. Often used in military contexts.

• The enemy forces began to bombard the city at dawn.
• The soldiers were bombarded with heavy artillery fire.

A general term for any aggressive action taken to harm or defeat someone or something. Used in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

• They launched a surprise attack on the enemy camp.
• The politician's reputation suffered after a media attack.

Used to describe repeatedly hitting or striking something with great force. Often describes continuous heavy shelling or bombing.

• The warships pounded the coastal defenses for hours.
• Heavy rain began to pound against the windows.

Refers specifically to firing explosive shells, usually from artillery. Often used in military contexts.

• The infantry advanced after the artillery finished shelling the enemy positions.
• The city was heavily shelled during the conflict.

Used to describe a sudden and violent physical attack, often with the intention of overwhelming or capturing a position. Can also be used in a metaphorical sense to describe sudden, aggressive actions or criticisms.

• The troops planned a midnight assault on the enemy base.
• She felt under assault from the barrage of questions.

When talking about repeated actions, this version is the exact synonym of the previous one. It can also be used for expressing being overwhelmed with non-physical things like requests.

• She felt bombarded with work emails.

Typically used to describe a large amount of water covering an area or when there is a large influx of something, like emotions or people. Can also be used metaphorically to describe being overwhelmed.

• The river flooded the town after the heavy rain.
• Emotions flooded over her as she read the letter.

Often used in a formal context to describe being overwhelmed by something, like work or requests. It implies a large, somewhat unmanageable amount.

• The customer service team was inundated with complaints.
• He was inundated with paperwork.

Commonly used to express being overpowered or emotionally affected by something. It can be both positive and negative, but usually indicates a strong impact.

• She was overwhelmed by her workload.
• Joy and relief overwhelmed him when he heard the news.